Mad & Cursed
by BlueSunrise1
Summary: The dragonborn is the daughter of a very special daedra. She is childish, strange, twisted and tormented. Her life takes a twist, and the world around her changes... will she be able to survive change? Or die?
1. Chapter 1

A rainy midnight in the forest, red blood moons shining bright, the atmosphere was filled with mystery. Down a path in the mountains was a woman riding her horse, a dagger in her hand and a contract in a satchel, stained with a black hand, a name and a gold sum.

Arriving to her destiny, only one thing in her head, the hunt and the prey. She got down of her horse and entered the small lumber mill village. Gave a pouch of gold to the guard to keep quiet, and enters the house of her prey, silent as a snake.

Sneaking through the rooms undetected by the kids and the wife sleeping peacefully in their beds, unaware of what will happen.

The woman opens the door that leads to the basement, dagger ready, hand steady as always and a bloodlust urging to be satisfied.

Going inside she finds the old man sitting down, sipping wine from a silver goblet, and writing a letter. He rubs his eyes and groans, exhausted. A spy of the empire trying to discover the Brotherhood's sanctuary, so naive and foolish, always messing with forces stronger than theirs.

The woman moves closer to the spy and sheathes her dagger, realizes she won't be needing it, not yet.

A grin spreads on her face when she listens the old man yawning, he has no idea she is there, with a swift movement she places herself behind the chair where the man is sitting, she raises her hands near his neck and has them both wrapped around it in the blink of an eye.

The man tries to yell, but he can't, she grabs him with so much strength that he cannot even breathe a little. He takes his hands to his captive's ones in an attempt to take them off. But before he can reach his own neck, the woman throws him to the floor and pins him under her, she is so light but so strong, almost unreal.

The man looked up and saw his attacker. Her face was covered by a masked black and red cowl, but he could see her eyes: bright yellow ones with slit pupils, but she was no Khajiit. She had dark skin, and a small scar under her left eye.

"such a shame, you were doing a really good job. I have been watching you for a few weeks by now. I have to admit that I am impressed, you are the only one of all those petty spies Tullius have sent that actually got this far on finding our sanctuary. Such a shame that now I have to kill you... Oh but not just now, you see, I still hadn't have enough fun with you..."

By the time she had finished speaking, she had unsheathed her ebony dagger and was tracing it on the man's cheek, and suddenly he couldn't move nor speak.

She had poisoned the dagger with paralysis poison the day before, she surely was expecting this day.

The woman chuckled, and started playing with her dagger.

"You thought it would be so easy for you, huh?" She stopped chuckling and suddenly stabbed the man in the hand, he tried to scream, but it was useless, his eyes wide open and a weak, faint sound escaped his slightly open mouth.

"Oh don't even try. I was shot with an arrow with that poison, it is useless to fight" she undid a few strings from her black and red armor, and showed the man the scar she had in her stomach. Well, probably it was the one he was seeing. She was filled with all sorts of scars, but had this particular big one, round and showed that it had its years and was deep, with small black lines.

"Oh but what does any of it really matter anyway? You are not leaving this room alive, or in one piece either." The woman said as she removed her dagger from the man's flesh and traced it swiftly through the length of his hand... And suddenly, cutting his index finger.

Warm blood emanated from where the finger was supposed to be. The woman laughed and got her face closer to the man's, literally feeling each other's breath on their faces.

"Good luck on the other side" said the woman, she was smiling, and it could be seen even with her cowl on.

The man's eyes were extremely open, he was terrified. She could see the terror in his eyes.

And without any further notice, the ebony dagger slit the man's throat in half. Blood spilling everywhere. She sheathed her dagger and took the alto wine that was on the table. She sat on the chair and put her feet on the desk as she took a sip of the wine. She noticed the letter that the man was writing, so she grabbed it and read it.

"My general, I send this letter to inform you that blah, blah, blah... The location somewhere near Falkreath blah, blah, blah... The same bullshit every spy sends to the General. That guy must be really fucking tired of this bunch of cheese brains" said the woman, talking to herself.

She took one last big sip of wine before leaving it in the table and throwing the letter to a small bonfire pit that was lit on the floor, beside the table.

She sneaked out of the house, undetected once more.

She left the house behind and walked to the entrance of the village, and as she arrived she saw the guard who she had paid to keep quiet, she stared at him as she passed by.

"Not a word" she said, and the guard nodded.

Her horse, Briarheart, was expecting her at the outside of the village, the woman ran and hugged him.

"Awwww, did you miss me, boy? Ohh I missed you" she said as she stroked his snout and then got up in the saddle, she decided to camp in the forest for the night.

She finally reached a nice location in the woods, it had a small pond and fireflies lit the place up, the stars shone bright, and a beautiful green Northern light lit the whole province.

The woman took a bottle of wine and a bedroll that was on the horse's back and placed it on the floor, she removed her cowl and got comfortable on the bedroll.

She was a dark skinned young woman. With silver eyes that sometimes shone yellow, and had a scar under her left eye. She had two white war paint stripes at both sides of her face.

She passed a hand through her black hair, which was in a dreadlock mohawk. She sighted and fell back onto the bedroll with both of her hands at the back of her head, she stared at the stars until she fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

"Where... where am I?" She asked to herself.

She was on the floor, laying on top of wet, cold grass. It was night time, but the place was... strange.

The only thing she remembered was killing an imperial spy that was trying to find the dark brotherhood's sanctuary, mounting her horse and being on her way back to her house in Whiterun.

But something had happened while she slept.

She'd never been there in her life, and she'd been to quite the number of places.

She stood up carefully and contemplated her surroundings. It was a swamp-ish like place. Unlike anything she had ever seen.

But it didn't matter where she was, she needed to move and seek shelter, or civilization. She needed to go back to her house with her lover.

She walked around the swamp, searching for a way out or a light.

Something, anything.

And then, a golden door opened in front of her, its bright color made her eyes hurt a bit, and she had to cover her sight for a second. She took a better look at the door, and it was beautiful.

It was covered in all sorts of strange markings, letters that were unintelligible to her, probably daedric.

She got closer to the gorgeous door and opened it carefully.

And inside, was a small black room with a black table, and a man with black and red clothes. His expression was serious.

"Ah, you are finally here. Take a seat." Said the man.

"... uh... do I know you?" She asked, confused as hell.

"Soon you will. Now seat down. I have to ask you a few things." Said the man.

"Alright...?" She said hesitantly.

She took a seat, and the man never broke eye contact. Staring at her with a blank expression, he coughed a bit and then spoke.

"Full name?" He asked.

"Benjen Fire-Leaf." Said Benjen.

"Your mother's name?" Asked the man.

"Nera Fire-Leaf... why are you asking me this?" She asked.

"Questions at the end please. Now, how old are you?" He asked.

"Eighteen." She said.

"What can you tell me of your childhood?" He asked.

"Never actually had any. My mum had to send me away because my step father tried to kill me. Spent my life fighting in pits for money till I accidentally killed one of the contestants when I was eleven and the dark brotherhood took me in." Said Benjen.

The man didn't seem to care much about her tragic past.

"Ok. Do you know your true father?" Asked the man.

"No. I'm a bastard child." Said Benjen.

"And do you know who Sheogorath is?" He asked.

"I know that he is the Madgod, and that he favors my bloodline because the Fire-Leafs have always been his champions... well... until Arne The Twisted's son." Said Benjen.

"Good. I think we are done here." He stood up.

"What's going to happen now?" Asked Benjen, she still didn't know where the hell she was, and she needed to go back.

"Now I take you to the palace." Said the man.

The room turned into butterflies that flew away, Benjen and the man were surrounded by golden ethereal dust and suddenly, they appeared in front of a tree inside of a great palace.

"Wait- what the fuck?!" Asked Ben.

"Ah, potty mouth. I knew it!" said a man in front of her.

The man sat on the tree, which was actually a throne, and he wore purple clothes and his hair was white, so was his beard, but his eyes...

Oh... his eyes... they were golden and bright!

Benjen stared at him in awe.

"What!? Do not stand there like a halfwit. Nera taught you better." He said as he stood up from his beautiful throne.

"Oh gods were are we!? Where the fuck is this place!? I need a map or I'll hyperventilate!" Said Benjen.

"Take it easy, daughter!" Exclaimed the man.

"Wait WHAT!? Daughter!?" Yelled Benjen as she almost fainted.

"Whoops, I let the cat outta the bag too quick. Uh... I had a speech and a nice little ceremony. A CEREMONY WITH A LOT OF CHEESE AND CAKE AND WINE BUT I DAMNED IT ALL!" He yelled.

"Why are we yelling!? And there is no way I'm your daughter! You are pale as milk and I'm dark as coal!" Exclaimed Benjen.

"Young miss Benjen, would you please lower your tone." Said the other man.

"I DUNNO, LETS SHUSH IT!" Said the man that wore purple clothes.

Benjen took a deep breath and tried not to faint, it was just too much information.

"I... I need-" she started wheezing.

"Oh don't die now. It took me eighteen years to find you, little heir to the throne of madness, do not die nooooow!" Exclaimed the man.

The heir to the throne of madness!?

"YOU! You- are not making it any better." She had to sit down on the floor and breathe heavily.

"It seems young miss Benjen is having an anxiety attack. Should I bring her some sleep wine?" Suggested the man.

"Yeah yeah, Haskill. You go do that. AND NOW HURRY CAUSE SHE IS GONNA DIE!" He yelled.

Benjen stayed on the floor, staring at the silky red and blue carpet.

"I- I- what the f- I'm dying." Said Benjen.

"Oh, don't be silly. You have my blood, it's gonna take a bit more than a lack of air to kill you." Said the man.

Benjen stared at him, exalted and nervous.

"Are you fucking f-for real right now!? Who are you!?" She asked.

The man named Haskill arrived with the wine. And handed the bottle to Ben.

"Drink in a small measure. You must stay awake to continue this conversation." Said Haskill.

"Yeah, or I'll haunt your dreams so we can keep talking." Said Sheogorath.

Benjen stared at him with terror.

"HA! I'm kidding... but I can actually do that." He said, his voice changed drastically, and it sounded almost serious, a psychopathic tone that made Benjen shiver with fear.

Ben took a swig of the wine and felt better instantly, her breath became steadier and she could finally speak like a normal being.

... if she was normal at all.

"Are you... actually my father? You are Sheogorath?" Asked Benny.

"Ah, yes. I haven't introduced myself. I am the Daedric prince of Madness, Sheogorath, the Madgod. And I am your dad, yeah." He said as he smiled a psychotic smile.

Benjen rose a brow.

"How do you explain the fact that we literally look the exact polar opposite?" Asked Benjen.

"Ah, well, you do not have my face, but you have my blood. Have you ever asked yourself why do your eyes turn golden when you are angry or happy? Or both!" He asked.

"They said I was cursed, a heretic child, because I was a bastard from a family that were devoted to Daedras." Said Benjen.

"Well, they were wrong! You have daedric blood running through your veins... and you have a dragon soul. You are a dragonborn and a demigod, in other words: you might be one of the most powerful mortals alive, if not the most powerful. Or at least you will be. But you need to train, learn to use your power, and survive." Said Sheogorath, his voice a little bit dark now.

The words echoed in her mind.

"Will you teach me?" She asked.

"Oh but of COURSE! What kind of father would I be if I didn't teach my own daughter how to fight!?" He asked.

"I dunno, never had quite a dad role model in my life. But can I go back to Skyrim? I need to see my lover." She said as she stood up.

"Of course, of course, I will send you back. You can come back later, or I'll summon you, depends on my mood." Said Sheogorath.

Haskill approached her and handed her a tiny stone with strange purple and red runes.

"You should be able to reappear here using that rune, if you desire to return." Assured Haskill.

"Good to know. Will this also work if I try to return to Skyrim?" Asked the young woman.

"Yes, you may use it now to return to the mortal plane."

Benjen squeezed the stone and it started glowing with more fervor.

"One more thing before you return, daughter." Said Sheogorath.

"Yes?" She asked as she turned around and faced the Madgod.

"You are no longer a bastard. And you can use the last name Sheothson." Said Sheogorath.

Benjen almost fainted... again.

"Are you serious?!" She asked, perplexed.

"Im never serious! But I mean it, you are my legitimate daughter and my heir." Said Sheogorath.

Benjen thought about it for a minute.

Benjen the Bastard, Cursed Child... and now, Benjen Sheothson Fire-Leaf, heir to the Throne of Madness.

She loved it.

"I will bear the last name with pride." Said Ben.

Oh, Leah needed to hear this.


	3. Chapter 3

"So... let me get this straight. You went to Sheogorath's plane of oblivion, spoke to him and found out he is your father...?" Said Leah as she raised a brow.

"I know right! It is so damn weird!" Exclaimed Benjen as she smiled and her eyes went golden, her pupils slit in a second and suddenly she looked like a completely different person.

"Huh, well that explains your eyes. I always thought you were half khajiit or something." Said Leah as she chuckled.

"Yeah, because I'm covered in hair and I have claws." Said Benjen sarcastically.

Leah rolled her eyes and grinned.

"You don't need to be an ass about it, you know?" Said Leah.

"I do what I want, my love." Said Ben smugly as she took a sip of her ale.

"Of course you do."

Benjen took another sip of her ale and stared at her lover. She loved those days, were they spent their afternoons at the bannered mare, drinking and talking.

Leah suddenly stood up from her stool.

"I'm gonna go and get a bounty. Wanna come and help me kill whatever they ask me to kill?" She asked to her lover.

Benjen grinned.

"Are you seriously asking me if I wanna go kill assholes? Of course I'm coming!" She stood up with a little jump and smiled.

Leah chuckled.

"Then let's go, before someone else takes it." She said as she approached the door.

"There are too many fucking bandits!" Exclaimed Benjen as she stabbed one of them in the chest.

"I never said it was gonna be easy!" Yelled Leah as she shot one of them with an arrow.

They were in a bandit camp near Whiterun, known as halted stream camp. And Leah, who was definitely braver than the other city guards, accepted the bounty to go and clear it up in exchange of a significant amount of gold.

A bandit ran towards Benjen with a mace in his hand, he threw a slash in her direction but she rolled away skillfully, kicked him to the ground and plunged one of her swords deep into his neck.

"Maybe not easy, but not impossible!" Exclaimed the daughter of the Madgod.

Leah sheathed her bow and took out her sword and shield, beating the sword a couple of times against the metallic center of the shield, taunting the bandits.

"Come here you skeevers! Show me what you got!" She taunted with a big smile on her face.

"Who's next!?" Yelled Benjen to the remaining bandits that hid behind their wooden walls.

Leah approached Benjen.

"We won't get the money if we don't kill them all, we need to find a way to enter." She said softly so that the bandits wouldn't hear her.

"Let's fucking charge at the doors and get this over with." Said Benjen.

Leah stared at the wooden walls, and at the bandits, she hesitated.

"We will die before we even have a chance to get near the gates. It is useless, I think we have to go back." Said Leah.

"I ain't going back, we came here to kill them, and killing them is what we are going to do." Said Benjen as she turned around and faced the bandits, before starting to walk towards the gate.

Leah went behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"Forget it, let's go home, love." Said Leah.

It was Benjen's turn to hesitate.

"... okay, whatever. They aren't even paying us enough for this job." Said Benjen.

"Exactly, let's go." Said Leah.

They turned around and started walking away, Benjen glanced back one last time, they were yelling all types of stuff to them. Taunting them, cursing them. She turned around once more and tried to ignore them.

She didn't see the man holding a bow in his hands, aiming an arrow in their direction.

Leah turned around and saw him.

"BEN!" She yelled and pushed her lover away.

Benjen fell to the cold, wet grass. She heard the whistle of an arrow and the thump of a body.

She turned around and saw her.

Her lover Leah... on the floor, bleeding from an arrow stuck in her stomach. The woman's blue eyes pierced her silver ones, and Benjen felt how her whole world crumbled and shattered around her.

She ran towards her lover and held her in her arms. The nord's eyes were filled with terror and pain.

"Leah no, no, no! You are gonna be ok! We just- we just gotta go back to whiterun and they'll patch you up." Said Benjen.

Leah moved her mouth, but no sound, except soft groans, came out of her mouth. She placed a hand on her silver amulet and took it off. With a bloody hand she offered it to her lover.

"No, no- don't do that, you are not gonna die, are you hearing me? You are not gonna die!" She exclaimed.

She stared at the arrow with horror and panic, she didn't know what to do and her mind was clouded with fear.

She removed the arrow carefully and placed her hands on the wound, applying pressure.

"You ain't going out like this. You said it yourself. We were gonna get married, have children, grow old together..." said Benjen softly as tears poured out of her eyes.

Leah placed a hand on Benjen's cheek and stared at her. She didn't say a single word, but her expression said more than a thousand words.

Seconds later her eyes gazed into the horizon, her hand fell to the floor, and suddenly... Leah Bjornson was no more.

Benjen Yelled and cried at her side for a couple of seconds.

How could she go on now? Without Leah? The only person who made her feel whole, after all she'd been through, she thought the world was finally smiling at her. But now, her lover was taken away from her, and all thanks to...

The bandits.

She felt blind rage overwhelm her.

Her eyes went golden, but they didn't look bright and beautiful, instead they were darkened with rage.

She stared at the bandits hiding and staring at her, why didn't they shoot again? Were they trying to send a message?

Either way, that was their last mistake.

That day, Benjen Sheothson discovered the other side of Madness. The psychopatic side of herself that she couldn't control, her desire of blood fueled by revenge.

That day, Benjen Sheothson lost her soulmate.

But she discovered Dementia.


	4. Chapter 4

**3 years later...**

She opened the doors to the Palace of the Kings, and entered.

The day was cold and snowy, you could barely see your hand in front of your face, and Benjen's clothes were covered in snow. The moment she entered the palace she sighed and felt herself being surrounded by the warmth of the bonfires.

But there was nothing warm in the expression of the man who had summoned her, he didn't look hostile, but his eyes emanated mistrust.

"Ah, Ulfric Stormcloak, the leader of the rebellion." She said and faked a smile.

She didn't like the man. They had similarities, of course, but their similarities didn't make them allies. Ulfric was a damn madman, he only craved power, and was blinded by it. He didn't know that the real threat hid behind the imperials.

He could only see the smaller picture, while Benjen saw the whole picture.

But her allegiance laid nowhere. She couldn't be bothered to pick a side. Tullius was too moralistic for her, and oh, those rules; and Ulfric was too petty, a man too small for a throne that big, he didn't deserve the power he held.

But there she was, in his palace, invited for a reason that may or may not be completely obvious.

"Benjen Sheothson, thanks for coming. Come with me to the war room, we have to discuss some things." Said Ulfric.

"Straight to the point. He must be in a hurry, or desperate... or both." She thought, right before following him.

They entered the room and saw Galmar Stone-Fist there, the man pierced his eyes into Benjen's. He didn't like her, and it was obvious, but apparently, she was needed.

"You finally arrive, good. Now we can start." He said boldly.

Benjen rose a brow.

"Why am I here?" She asked, turning her attention towards Ulfric.

"You have been around for three years, Sheothson. You killed Alduin, but you haven't picked a side in the fight for Skyrim. You would be a powerful ally, and if you join our forces, you would be compensated greatly." Said Ulfric.

Straight to the point.

"I've said it before, and apparently I have to say it again because you cheese brains don't listen: I am not picking a side, my allegiance lays nowhere. I have bigger problems than you idiots fighting for gold and lands." Said Benjen, standing her ground.

She was tired of this, Tullius and Ulfric wanted her as an ally, but she wasn't interested. She didn't want to get stuck in the middle of a fight she didn't care about, or politics that didn't matter to her.

She was dark brotherhood only, and she meant it to stay like that.

"Speak with more respect, you redguard whore, you are speaking to the rightful king of Skyrim!" Exclaimed Galmar, walking towards her and staring at her with eyes filled with hate.

Before he could do anything rash, Ulfric placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.

"Now, now. Don't speak to her like that, the dragonborn is our guest." Said Ulfric.

Benjen stared at Galmar, tranquil on the outside... but on the inside, she wanted to rip open Galmar's belly and take out his intestines, and let him die slowly.

"Our fight goes beyond lands and gold. We want freedom, we want to set this land free from the Empire. Skyrim is a land of the Nords, and it should stay like that." Said Ulfric.

"... you do know that you are talking to a Redguard, right? I don't care who owns the land, as long as they don't get in my business, I do not give a fuck who is the ruler of this land, and I am not going to fight for something I don't care about." Said Benjen.

"Of course you will not fight for a cause you don't care about... but what about the rewards you might get for fighting for us? A piece of land maybe? Your own village? Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a Jarl?" Asked Ulfric.

"I do not want to own a piece of grass and a fucking shack in the middle of a cold tundra. House Fire-Leaf had a great city in Hammerfell, but my stepfather stole it from my family, and now we have nothing. Unless you could give me back Coast Of Fire, I do not give a fuck about your rewards. And I doubt you could send an army to Hammerfell to help me take it back." Said Benjen coldly, her eyes turning golden and her pupils slitting.

"Okay, then let me put it in other words for you: if you do not join us now, you will become an enemy of the Stormcloaks, and my people will attack you if they see you in the wilderness of Skyrim. You should know that I do not beg, miss Sheothson." Said Ulfric coldly. His patience was gone, and he had no time to debate and fight with the daughter of the Madgod.

"And I do not kneel to any king, no matter how legitimate is their claim to the throne." Said Benjen, her eyes pierced into Ulfric's. She stood up straight, but her small height didn't help her to look any more dangerous.

But her scars, and the little piece missing of her left ear, could scare the children away.

"Think this thoroughly, Sheothson. You are just one woman, you can't take on the power of a full army." Said Ulfric.

"Oh look at me, I'm fucking trembling!" Said Benjen childishly.

"Get out of my city, woman. You have no place in windhelm, and now you are a sworn enemy of the stormcloaks. My guards will let you leave without hurting you, but if you return, or if any of my soldiers find you in the field, they are allowed to kill you." Said Ulfric, his tone was full of superiority.

It was an order from a king, a powerful man, but Benjen couldn't care less if it came from a stable boy.

"Hmmm bad idea. Tell your soldiers to stay away, unless you want to see their heads in spikes later. Or their bodies cut in half and hanging from trees. Or who knows!? I can get really creative when it comes to killing. What can I say? It is an art that I master." Said Benjen as she smiled like a psychopath, her golden eyes darkening.

Ulfric felt a little bit nauseous when he heard Benjen's words. He had seen her handiwork, and it wasn't a pretty sight. Some of his soldiers reported seeing bandits torn to pieces or worse... apparently, her favorite way to kill someone was disemboweling them and letting them hang from their intestines. There were other ways she enjoyed, but Ulfric couldn't remember them or he would vomit his breakfast.

"Get the fuck out, before I change my mind." Said Ulfric.

Benjen started walking, she arrived to the great hall where his throne was, and she took a bottle of wine.

"Gotta take something for the road, ya know? Anyway, it was an honor, your majesty." Said Benjen as she made a mocked reverence.

Ulfric scoffed as he saw the mad redguard leave his palace. He sat on his throne, feeling weirdly exhausted.

Galmar appeared from the war room, and he let out a small growl.

"Never liked that redguard. She isn't trustworthy, at least now we know she isn't on our side. I want to kill her, personally." He said.

"We lost a possible ally and made a powerful enemy, this isn't what I wanted. But if she doesn't want to pick a side, so be it." Said Ulfric. Losing Benjen was more of a disadvantage than an advantage; but his pride was at stake, and he couldn't beg in front of Sheothson, or Galmar.

He couldn't show any sides of weakness.

"Bah, forget her. She is just one woman. We have an army. Should I send a party to kill her? So we can get rid of her quickly?" Asked Galmar.

"Yes. Send them tomorrow, and send messengers to alert all our troops that she must be killed on sight. Benjen Sheothson is strong, but not strong enough to take on a whole army." Said Ulfric.

"I will do it at once." Said Galmar.

He left the room, and Ulfric was alone once more.

Alone with his thoughts.

He wondered if he had made the right choice.

But silence was his answer.


	5. Chapter 5

_"Mom I don't wanna leave!" Screamed a 9-year-old Benjen Sheothson._

 _Nera Fire-Leaf, a young woman with a heart of steel and the courage of a dragon, was finally broken. Trapped in a loveless marriage with a man who beat her and her daughter, all she wanted was for Benjen to have a normal life, and she got quite the opposite._

 _Her nose was broken and her eyes were filled with tears. She held in her bloody hand a pouch with gems and gold coins._

 _"Benny listen to me, you have to leave. Now! Or he will kill you." Said Nera, her words came out broken, and she had to contain her sobs._

 _After all these years, they found out who Benjen really was._

 _Who her real father was._

 _And her stepfather and his allies didn't like daedras (well, that was a very light way to put it)._

 _Benjen took the pouch hesitantly, she didn't know what to do._

 _"Listen to me carefully: I want you to go to the docks, don't get distracted by anything. Talk to Anur, the captain of the Rosewater. He will let you board his ship. Go as far away from here as you can. And pay him in sapphires." Said Nera, trying to regain her composure._

 _"But what about you, mom?" Asked Benjen as she sobbed and cried softly._

 _"I will be okay, now go! Run!" Exclaimed Nera._

 _Benjen took off as quickly as she could, turning back one last time to see her mother._

 _She could see the fear in her eyes. And the moment she saw the door opening behind her, she knew that that was going to be the last time they saw each other._

 _But Benjen stayed strong._

 _And she ran._

She woke up with a start, a scream to the sky and a hand to one of her swords.

She sat quickly and tried to calm herself, holding Leah's necklace with strength.

The nightmares weren't unusual, she was used to them, but they still felt too real for her liking.

In her dreams, she could smell the fish from the fishery; the freshly baked bread from her home; and the exotic perfumes and spices from the marketplace of Coast of Fire, the city of her family.

But it was all gone now. Once the noble heir from a great house, now a confused little woman that murdered for gold and fun.

Growing up she desired to be a hero like the ones from the stories her mother told her when she was just a child, but she turned out to be the complete opposite from hero.

She could never be a hero, for she was born Cursed, no matter how many dragons she killed, how many bandits she slaughtered, or how many orphans she rescued, she was always going to be the strange little madwoman that desired to kill and torture soldiers no matter where they came from.

She was no hero.

Oh, but she didn't care.

Heroes are tied to morals and a very specific purpose, but she was free-folk.

A lawless woman with a wine bottle and a big open road of possibilities.

The crunching of dry leaves was what snapped her back into reality.

Standing up quickly, she held an ebony sword in each hand. Staring into every direction, looking for the source of the noise. She wondered if she was being followed by an enemy, or if she was just being paranoid.

From the bushes appeared a little white bunny, and Benny felt her heart melt.

"Oh my god you are one adorable little thing!" She exclaimed and smiled at the bunny, who just stared at her for a couple of seconds before moving his ears a bit to the left.

As if he had heard something he wasn't supposed to hear, the bunny froze in place for a couple of seconds, right before running away as fast as his fluffy little legs allowed him to.

Benjen was a bit confused, she rose a brow and stared at the direction where the bunny had ran to.

"Since when am I so ugly that I scare bunnies away?" She wondered.

Before she could answer her own question, she heard more sounds. The crunching of leaves was more evident now, and it wasn't the sound that a bunny would emit. It sounded louder, like the steps of boots on-

A man appeared from behind some trees, running towards Benjen while he screamed and held his sword up high.

She rolled to the side and dodged his attack, she quickly got up and slashed his back with one of her swords.

The man fell to the ground and started bleeding from the wound, he had the blue uniform of the Stormcloaks.

She couldn't even say that she was surprised. Maybe camping near Kynesgrove had been a bad idea.

Two men appeared, one with a shield and a sword, other with a huge steel warhammer.

The man with the warhammer threw a sloppy and slow slash at her, which she dodged easily. She couldn't see his face because of his helmet, but he was skinny and not very tall for a nord, probably a very young man, and he definitely didn't know how to use that warhammer of his.

An advantage that she could exploit.

She toyed a bit with the man of the sword and shield, parrying his attacks with relative ease, always with a smile on her face as she saw him fight with all he had, while she was just getting warmed up.

The man with the warhammer attacked again, throwing a horizontal attack which apparently Benjen managed to duck at the right moment, because the man's warhammer found his way to the other soldier's helmet, denting the piece of armor and destroying his skull.

"That's some teamwork, my friend." Said Benjen as her eyes turned golden.

Four more men appeared from every direction. And Benjen quickly took one out, (the only one not wearing a helmet) by slicing his soft throat in one swift movement.

Another one went to attack her, he had an axe, she stabbed him in the leg and the man screamed in pain.

The man with the warhammer threw another attack, she dodged and this time the warhammer hit a tree, the weapon got stuck in the wood and this gave Benny enough time to slash the man's chest.

One of the soldiers tackled her and they both fell to the hard, cold earth.

She grunted when her face hit the floor and her whole skull resonated, but she regained her composure rather quickly. She pinned him down under her, took off his helmet and bit his neck, savagely ripping out a chunk of skin and meat as blood spilled everywhere.

Her eyes were a dark-golden color. And her face was covered in blood... Stormcloak blood. She wondered if she would scare Ulfric now.

She tackled the remaining soldier to the ground, taking off his helmet and hitting him in the face with it... repeatedly. Until his face became an unrecognizable mush of blood and flesh.

She stood up carefully, dropping the helmet. She could hear the grunts of a man.

She turned around and saw the man that she had stabbed in the leg, he was crawling as fast as he could but he couldn't move much.

Or at least not enough.

She walked over to him and forced him to take off his helmet.

"What have we here...?" She said as she stood in front of him.

She quickly walked over to her satchel and took out some rope she had there.

Walking towards the man once more, she grabbed him by the hair and forced him to get up. She tied him to the nearest tree and then finally got a better look at him.

He was young and pale, his hair was curly, dark, and was rather short, he had no beard, and his green eyes trembled with fear.

"What is your name, boy?" Asked Benjen to the young man.

"I am no boy." He barked back.

Benjen chuckled a little bit.

"Do I look like I give a shit? I asked for your name." Said Benjen.

"Sigurd Olafson." Said the boy, feeling a bit more scared now, realizing that false bravado was going to get him nowhere.

Benjen got closer to him.

"Tell me, Sigurd Olafson. Did Ulfric send you?" She asked.

The man stayed silent for a couple of seconds, was he allowed to answer that question?

Benjen traced her sword through his cheek, drawing a whimper from him as droplets of blood started emanating from the wound.

"Answer me." She demanded, her voice suddenly changing completely, she sounded like a different person.

A person that was in control of the situation, a psychopathic person. A demented Madwoman.

"Y- yes, King Ulfric sent me." Said Sigurd.

Benjen rolled her eyes, which were silver now.

"Ah, that man is stubborn as a fucking troll, isn't he? Well, I'm so sorry, little boy. But I made a promise, and I keep my promises." Said Benjen.

The man didn't seem to understand her words, but it was when her sword found his belly, that he knew that he had seen his last sunrise.

She carved deep into his body, cutting him up from belly to chest. She plunged out her sword and took out his intestines with her right hand, until the man had nothing left inside of him that Benny could take.

The man was left there to die slowly, his innards hanging outside of his body and his mouth covered in blood. Benjen smiled to him one last time before his vision went dark... and he stopped existing.

Hours later she found herself ready to leave her little camping spot. She was still covered in blood, but she did not care.

She mounted Briarheart and took off, leaving behind some gifts for Ulfric.

The heads of his men impaled in spikes, just like she promised to do if he sent people to kill her.

As wicked and unpredictable as she could be, Benjen Sheothson knew one thing for certain:

She always kept her promises.


	6. Chapter 6

Benjen walked the streets of Whiterun with a huge smile on her face, she was just too damn glad to finally be home.

As a traveller, she enjoyed the time spent on the road, and in the wilderness. But sometimes, it got lonely, and she started feeling homesick.

She had two homes: her home back at the dark brotherhood sanctuary, and the one in Whiterun. Both places completely different, but they felt equally great to her, like a balance between mania and dementia... one place surrounded with normal citizens living calm, boring lives... and the other full of ruthless assassins.

She arrived to the mead-hall of the companions and opened one of the doors. She hadn't been to that place in quite a while, but everything was just as she remembered it.

Athis and Njada were fighting again, Skjor stared from a safe distance with a bit of desdain. The rest were eating, drinking and talking... but someone was missing.

Aela, Aela the Huntress was nowhere to be seen.

She walked through the hall and down the stairs, unnoticed by everyone. Tilma was sweeping the floor when she arrived to the living quarters, and the old lady gave the Dragonborn a small smile.

"Oh, Benny, everyone thought you were gone forever! Good to know you are still alive." She said as she swiped.

"You know me, Tilma. I'm hard to kill." Said Benny as she smiled warmly.

"Of course you are, sweetie. Oh, but I don't think you came all the way down here just to chat with an old woman. You want to see Aela, right?" Asked the woman.

"Yes ma'am." Said Benny like a well behaved child.

"She is in her room. She has some letters for you too." Said Tilma.

That caught Benjen by surprise.

"Letters you say? From whom?" Asked the Madwoman.

"I don't know, you'll have to ask her." Said Tilma.

Benjen made a small bow to Tilma before walking towards Aela's room.

Benjen and Aela had known each other for several years, since the Redguard arrived to Whiterun nine years ago. She, Leah and Benny were huge friends... until Leah was killed, and Benny left the city for several months, usually returning for a month or two before hitting the road again.

The Redguard slowly opened the door and saw the huntress near her desk, her presence unnoticed.

Benjen slowly walked towards her, stealthily and without being seen, she placed herself behind the huntress.

"Beware of the... HORKER!" She placed her hands on her shoulders and Aela turned around and threw a punch in the Redguard's direction, Benny managed to dodge it before it was too late.

"What in obliv-!? Benjen Sheothson what the hell are you doing!?" She yelled, her usual calm and controlled tone completely gone now.

"Heya there, how are you doing?" Asked Benjen.

"Are you serious right now?" Asked Aela.

"I never am!" Said Benny as she smiled a bit "good to see you, by the way, it's been months." Said Benjen.

Aela seemed to soften a bit.

"It's good to see you too, Benny. It's been... a rough couple of months." Said Aela.

"Too much work or too little?" Asked Benny.

"Too much, the animals seem to be getting more aggressive. And we have to fend off vampire attacks from Whiterun too, since the city guards are too weak to handle things on their own... bunch of snowberries." She scoffed rather angrily.

"Well that's why I came back. I want to lend a hand." Said Benny.

Aela rolled her eyes at the shorter woman.

"You always say that, and then you disappear after a month or two." Said Aela.

"Nah, Im being serious this time, I'm gonna stay. Also... I'm in a bit of a situation with the stormcloaks, so I need to lay low for a couple of weeks." Said Benjen.

"... what did you do now?"

"I told Ulfric to piss off, he was annoying me and I do not want to pick a side in the war." Said Benjen.

"I know you want to stay neutral. But you could really make a difference, you know? Help the people of Skyrim..." said Aela.

"Hey I thought you were on my side, aren't the companions supposed to be neutral too? I am not going to fight on a war that isn't mine, they can solve their problems without me." Said Benny.

"We are supposed to stay neutral, but you are free to do as you please. If you joined a side you could stop the unnecessary killing." Said Aela.

"I am not going to do it. I saved these ungrateful assholes from Alduin and all they gave me was a middle finger, I'm still wanted in like 3 big cities. I'm done saving people who do not give a fuck about me, they can learn how to save themselves... or die trying, I don't care." Said Benjen, her voice lower and her eyes slightly golden.

Aela didn't say anything.

Benjen tried to change the subject.

"Are those letters for me?" She asked, pointing at the letters on the table.

"Yes, they are. The courier left them here for you about a week ago." Said Aela.

Benny took the letters in her hands, there were two of them: one that had a small red seal, and other that was just a ragged piece of paper. She opened the ragged one first, reading it out loud.

"In these days of war and strife... bla bla bla... adopt? Adopt!? Me? With a child? Now that's hilarious." She wrinkled the letter and threw it to the floor carelessly.

She opened the other one and read it silently.

Her hands trembled a bit and her eyes widened in surprise. After finishing, she closed the letter, she was quiet... which was strange.

"Everything ok, Benjen?" Asked Aela.

"I... I need to go to Riften right now." She said and walked towards the door of the room.

"Benjen wait, what happened?" Asked Aela.

"I'll tell you later, see ya!" She opened the door and left the room quickly.

Benjen Sheothson could be a strange little woman, in Aela's opinion, but she had something... she didn't quite know what it was.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: I've had a lot of fun writing this, anyway I'm gonna keep this note simple: thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy. And any constructive criticism would be appreciated, since I'm pretty new at this. Let me know what you think!**

Benny arrived to the Riften stables, she dismounted Briarheart and walked towards the gates. The guards who stood there didn't give her any trouble, since she was a member of the thieves guild; instead of asking her to pay the visitor's tax, they opened the gates for her.

And she entered the city.

The strong smell of fish and black-briar mead invaded her nose instantly. The place was all poverty and corruption, surrounded by colorful trees and singing animals; the place was an illusion of something pretty, like a sunny day on a haunted place.

But she liked it, strangely; it was shadowy, just like her.

She saw Brynjolf standing outside the Bee and Barb inn, she walked towards him, and saw a smirk on his face.

"Hey there, lass. Here to visit your good old friend?" He asked, his smirk didn't go away.

"I came here for the letter you sent me." She said.

"Straight to business now, eh? Good. Did you like my little love letters?" He asked sarcastically.

"Yes, but I need evidence. I need to see her." She seemed more nervous than usual.

"Hey, she fits your description. Half Nord, half Redguard, 26 years of age... there is only one thing that doesn't fit." Brynjolf noticed Benjen's nervousness.

"Which is...?"

"Her eyes. You said she might have silver eyes, well... she has blue eyes." He said.

"Doesn't matter, it might be her... but I need to see her." She insisted.

"Okay, lass. She is near the guard barracks." He said.

Benjen's heart skipped a beat, she couldn't believe that after so many years searching... she was so close now.

"Thanks, I will see her at once." She started walking towards the barracks, quickly.

Her mother had told her stories about her travels, before Benny was born. How she went to places like Black Marsh, Cyrodiil, and Skyrim. She told her about the men and women she met in all of her travels. She had a particular interest in Skyrim and the Nords... and there was a chance, a small chance, that maybe something had happened with one of these men.

Benjen wanted to hope that she wasn't the last member of her family, that maybe there was another Fire-Leaf alive in some place of the world. And it was her mission to find him/her.

But then again, she hoped many things, and most of them were impossible, so she couldn't get her hopes up.

She arrived to the barracks, there were several guards practicing and shooting training dummies. Most of them had their helmets on, the ones that didn't were either men or nord women.

But there was a guard, a female guard, smaller than the others. She had her helmet on, and she had a training sword on her right hand, she was sparring with another guard. She was skilled for a simple city guard, but she wasn't a Blade or anything similar.

She was just an ordinary woman, living an ordinary life.

Benny sat on a table nearby and examined her while she trained.

She was quick, she waited for her opponent to strike, and then she dodged. Strike, dodge, strike, dodge... draining her opponent.

The other guard was tired, she began to attack back and he clumsily parred her attacks, but he was strong, and she was too confident. The other guard hit her on the ribs with the training sword.

Benjen heard the woman groan and drop her training sword.

"By the nine be more careful!" She exclaimed.

"Learn how to block." Said the man as he took off his helmet, he was pale and his hair was black, he had a long beard and tiny brown eyes.

"How about you learn not to break my ribs? I am not the enemy, and we need all guards to be able to perform their duty, how am I gonna do that if I have a broken rib?" She barked back at him.

The man laughed.

"I barely touched you. Stop being such a weakling, kid." He said to her before walking away.

The woman touched her rib a couple of times and then walked towards the table where Benjen was.

She sat down and took off her helmet, and Benjen could finally see her face.

Their haircut was fairly similar, but her hair was dark brown instead of black, she was lightly tanned, she had the most beautiful blue eyes Benjen had ever seen, and their features were incredibly similar, except for some sharper features like jawline and cheekbones... the only thing Benjen would've never expected was the scar.

The woman had an enormous scar on her left cheek, it went from her ear and almost touched her lip.

"Do you need something?"

Benjen realized she had been caught staring, she looked at the woman's blue eyes, which were pierced into her silver ones.

"Could I ask you some questions?" She asked as casually as she could.

She was not a subtle person.

The woman rose a brow.

"I guess...?"

Benny sat straight, and stared at her.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Lykaios."

"Lykaios what?"

"Lykaios nothing, I have no family, I grew up here at the Honorhall Orphanage."

"Do you know anything about your parents?" Asked Benjen.

"I've always assumed that my father was either some soldier who died honorably on the battlefield, or a drunk imbecile who drowned on the canal." She said, her voice didn't have any emotion.

"Okay... uh... what about your mother?" Asked Benjen.

"I know that she was a Redguard. The headmistress told me her name was something with and N but I can't remember more- also, why am I even telling you this!? Do I know you?" Lykaios suddenly snapped.

For a couple of seconds, Benny said nothing.

Lykaios rose a brow.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I FINALLY FOUND YOU!" She hugged the grumpy half Nord Half Redguard.

Lykaios pushed her away rather violently.

"Who the fuck are you?!" She asked.

"Im your half sister!" Exclaimed Benjen.

A dragon could've swooped in with Torygg dancing on its head while juggling cabbages, and Lykaios would've been less impressed by that than by Benny's words.

"What!?" She asked a bit too loud.

"I'm your goddamn half sister. Your mother was Nera Fire-Leaf, a woman from a noble Redguard house! I've been looking for you my whole life!" Exclaimed Benjen.

Lykaios's face was as pale as milk.

"You- you cannot know that for sure, there are many Redguard names that start with N." said Lykaios.

"No, no, no. But everything fits. When I arrived to Skyrim I met a man who knew my mother long before I was even born, the first time they met she had a baby, and denied it was hers. How do I know it wasn't me? The baby wasn't full Redguard. Since then my purpose has been to find you, and I knew I'd find you!" Exclaimed Benjen.

Lykaios stayed quiet for several seconds, probably trying to process everything.

After a very long and very awkward silence, she found her voice once more, and barely muttered:

"I need a drink."


	8. Chapter 8

**"She found her."**

 **"Indeed, she did."**

 **"Everything is going according to the plan..."**

 **"Should I finish them now, while they are together?"**

 **"No, we wait for the right time. This is a story I'm eager to see unravel."**

 **"Alright, but don't take too long. I'm thirsty for Fire-Leaf blood."**

Lykaios was finishing her third cliff racer, Benjen was barely starting to drink her first tankard of black-briar reserve. She stared at her half sister, impressed. The woman was half Nord but had the resistance of a full Nord.

They had been talking about Nera, Coast of Fire and the Fire-Leaf family... Benny was waiting for the right moment to tell her that she was the daughter of the Madgod... since most people though it was just a rumor.

"So, Arikay Fire-Leaf, the woman who stopped the Oblivion crisis... is also our relative?" Asked Lykaios.

"Yes, that crazy bitch is our great granny. And her best friend, a khajiit dude, became Sheogorath, it's a really long story..." said Benny.

"Ugh, I don't really like daedras." Said Lykaios.

... well shit...

"Why?"

"They are evil bastards. They create powerful artifacts that make mortals fight each other in order to get them. It's fucked up, and their followers are even worse." She took a sip of her drink.

Benjen stayed quiet, awkwardly quiet.

"What's wrong with you?" Asked Lykaios.

"Oh, nothing nothing... I'm... just admiring the view." She said, grinning and looking at Sapphire, who was seating alone in a little corner of the Bee and Barb.

At first, Lykaios didn't quite understand. So she turned around, and when she saw the woman, she chuckled.

"You have a death wish, friend. And you are not fooling me." She said as she turned around.

Benny rose a brow.

"What do you mean?"

"I've heard the rumors. But, are they true?" Asked Lykaios.

"... which rumors?" She was pretty nervous, but acted as normal as possible on the outside.

"That you are the daughter of Sheogorath. Is it true?" Asked Lykaios.

"... I would say yes, but I am a bit afraid that you'll try to kill me."

"You just did. And I am not going to kill you, I just don't like daedras, but it's not like you had much of a choice there." Said Lykaios.

"Well, I did not have a choice back then, but now I follow him, as a daedra and as my father. I've learned quite a bit of stuff that would blow your mind, I've trained with golden saints and dark seducers, and I met some of our ancestors that live in New Sheoth." Said Benjen.

"Ancestors?" Lykaios rose a brow.

"Yeah, Abryn Fire-Leaf, the founder of our House, lives there... or maybe she is an illusion? I don't know. But anyway, that's not relevant. I came looking for you with a very specific purpose." Said Benny.

"Which is...?"

Benjen took a large sip of her drink, before staring at Lykaios with a smirk.

"We are taking Coast of Fire back." She said.

Lykaios's eyes widened in surprise.

"Your- I mean, our family's city?" She asked.

"Yes, it is my only purpose in life. You see, there are only two things I care about in life: blood and family. I like to kill, and I love my family. And I will kill for my family, it's a win-win situation. I don't care about Coast of Fire's gold, or it's ships. I care about it because it's everything our family has left. Years ago, we were a proud family, until my mom decided to go see the world. She came back... and guess what she found? Her mother, father and brothers dead... and my stepfather with a sword smeared in our family's blood. He forced her to marry him. I was just a child back then, but I remember everything... how he beat me and my mother... how he raped us..." her eyes started to go Golden, and her smirk was gone.

"wait, so you weren't born in Coast of Fire?" Asked Lykaios.

"No, I was born in Elsweyr. My mother travelled for about ten years and had two babies during that time... crazy, huh? I wonder why she didn't keep you, though..."

"Maybe she wasn't ready to settle down yet. You know, my life was pretty shitty here... but hearing about how your stepfather treated you... I guess dealing with Grelod the Bitch wasn't so bad." Said Lykaios as she took a sip of her drink.

"Speaking of which: I killed her." Benny smiled innocently.

"You did the orphans of Skyrim a great service. You know... you aren't so bad, for a half daedra. I mean, you saved Tamriel from Alduin and Grelod... you have a lot of power, you should use it." Said Lykaios.

"Yeah, I will use it to kill my asshole stepfather and his lackeys."

"I meant here, you could make a difference here. Which side are you on? Imperials or stormcloaks?" Asked Lykaios.

"I'm on my side, that war is not mine."

"But you could really-"

"Nope! Fuck the war, and fuck Ulfric and Tullius in the ass. Let's talk about something else, alright?" Asked Benjen.

"... okay... so..." Lykaios wondered for a couple of seconds, thinking about another subject to talk about.

"since you are the daughter of the Madgod, do other princes hate you or have tried to kill you?" She finally asked.

"I mean, I tried to become a werewolf once and almost died. Mehrunes Dagon is pretty pissed with Arikay because of the Oblivion crisis thingy, and I guess he would like to get revenge on her descendants or something like that; but he hasn't tried anything... yet. And I'm pretty sure Molag Bal doesn't like me either since I've killed a lot of vampires." Said Benjen.

Lykaios examined her cautiously.

"Any more enemies?" She asked.

"The empire, the stormcloaks, and the usual: dragons and bandits. Nothing much." She smiled.

"... yeah, not much." Said Lykaios sarcastically, taking another sip of her cliff racer.

"Yeah, Okay, I have a lot of enemies, but I don't care. They can physically hurt me all they want, I can take it. But they can't hurt my family since I don't have any... except for you. But you can handle yourself, and nobody knows you are my half-sister... soooo... keep your head low until I make a half-decent plan to take back Coast of Fire, and we should be just fine." Said Benny.

"I have no problem with that. And seriously? You have no more family?" Asked Lykaios.

"Nope. My lover is dead, I have no legitimate children, and all of the Fire-Leafs are dead, except for you and me. We are the only ones left of our dying family." Said Benny.

"There is someone else..." muttered Lykaios.

"Wait what?" Asked Benny.

"I have a son. He is about 10 years old now, my ex husband took him away from me and I haven't seen either of them ever since. So we are not the only Fire-Leafs left." Said Lykaios with a sad smile.

Benny smiled and jumped "hell yeah! There is hope for us!" She said joyfully.

Lykaios, without any emotion, took another sip of her drink.

"Okay, Okay, Okay. This is great news! Oh, I need to calm down." Benny took deep breaths. "Alright, Im good. And I should get moving." She grabbed her tankard and quickly drank its contents.

Lykaios rose a brow.

"You aren't staying?" She asked.

"Nope, I need to get a move on. I have a lot of stuff to do. But if you are in Whiterun look me up. Im always at the meadhall of the companions." Said Benny.

"Will do, Benjen." Lykaios smiled.

"We Will Always Rise." Said Benny.

Lykaios rose a brow.

"What does that mean?"

"It's the motto of our family. You should get accustomed to it..."

She made a small pause, her eyes went golden.

"Lykaios Fire-Leaf." She said with a smile on her face.


	9. Chapter 9

It was the early hours of the morning, a cold sun rose from behind the mountains, and Benjen arrived to Jorrvaskr once more. Instead of scaring Aela, she greeted her like a normal person.

Aela smiled when she saw the dragonborn.

"Benjen, you are back. Care to join me on a hunt?" She asked, and Benny smiled, she loved their hunts together.

And hours later they found themselves walking the cold tundra of Skyrim. Bows sheathed but ready.

Benjen told her all about Lykaios, her plans, and the remaining people she had to find.

The two of them hadn't spoke in quite some time, since Benny was always away. She didn't like to stay in Whiterun for too long because it filled her with memories of a life she could not have. A normal life.

Oh, but it's not like she disliked fighting and killing, quite the opposite. But there were times in her life where she wondered how it would've felt to be a normal person. To experience a life of tranquility where your only problem is to put food on the table, to write letters to your relatives, and to make sure your crops are growing well.

But her life was different. She was no hero and no farmer...

"You found your half-sister, now you only have to look for..." said Aela.

"I have to find the orc warrior: Robar Ironjoy, and her twin if he's alive. Then I have to find Skade Felsaad, the healer/necromancer. They are important, but there is someone who is way more important for my mission." Said Benny, she didn't do any sort of visual contact.

"And that person is...?"

"You." She said boldly.

That caught Aela by surprise.

"What? Me? Where do I fit in your plan?" Asked Aela.

Benny took a deep breath.

"Aela, you have always been there for me. You are a skilled warrior and an impressive archer... but this goes beyond fighting skills. I want you to go to Coast of Fire with me because..." she couldn't even finish her sentence.

Aela stared at her, quiet and rather worried.

"... you are the only person alive that can control me if I go Dementia. If I lose myself in Madness I might kill everyone, friend and foe alike. I need you to stop that from happening... either by making me snap out of it... or by killing me." Her voice was emotionless... strangely emotionless.

The fact that her voice had no hint of emotion scared Aela a bit, it made her uneasy.

"I'm not going to kill you." Said Aela stubbornly.

"You have to! What if I go crazy and kill-" she stopped talking mid sentence.

Aela rose a brow. Benny stayed very still for a couple of seconds.

Until they heard a roar that shook the ground.

"... you said we were hunting deer, not dragons." Said Benny sarcastically.

"I'm not sure this is the best moment to be joking." Said Aela.

"Ah, who cares." Benny shrugged and her eyes became golden, she took out her daggers and a demented smile appeared on her face.

They heard another roar, this time closer. Benny braced herself, she was ready. And her soul demanded blood of a dragon.

An enormous dragon with pale scales appeared from behind the trees, flying low and making the pines shake.

"DOVAHKIIN, TODAY YOU DIE BY THE ICE OF RUTHERNAAX!" Roared the dragon.

Benjen waited, Aela saw her looking at the sky like a halfwit.

"BENJEN! YOUR BOW! SHOOT HIM!" She yelled, unsheathing her own bow.

But Benny didn't listen, instead, she just stared at the sky. The dragon was flying towards them now, and Benny waited.

She patiently waited.

When the dragon was at a better distance, she finally shouted.

"JOOR ZAH FRUL!" She yelled.

Her words reached the dragon, and he fell to the ground, making the ground shake like an earthquake.

Benjen tried to get on top of him, but the dragon was fast, really fast. He threw a couple of bites in the Redguard's direction but he didn't get her.

Aela shot him right in the eye, making the dragon roar in pain.

This gave Benny some time, she ran towards him, his mouth was closed, she jumped on his snout but he moved his whole head violently, making the Redguard lose balance and fall to the floor, biting her tongue and tasting blood on her mouth.

She grunted and felt a sudden burst of rage overcome her, she ran towards him and jumped onto his snout once more, this time stabbing him in the head with one of her daggers.

The dragon stopped moving instantly, and he fell to the ground.

Benjen kept stabbing him, she wasn't satisfied. Stab after stab, more blood poured from his wounds, until his flesh became fire and she swiftly absorbed his soul, leaving only the warm bones from the beast.

But she was not satisfied at all, she still felt the desire to kill someone... she still wanted blood.

She started to lose her mind, throwing one of her daggers and screaming.

Before she could do anything rash, she felt arms around her, embracing her, stopping her from hurting herself or someone.

She tried to move, to push Aela away, but the Nord was strong.

"Benjen, Benjen, calm down, it's okay. He is dead." She reassured to the mad little redguard.

But Benjen kept kicking and struggling, her Dementia was taking over her, she became her shackled self, her mad self.

She had to take a few deep breaths, to allow herself to calm down, to cool her head, to remember who she was... her sane self... or half sane at least.

Her energy was quickly drained, and after a few seconds, she stopped fighting Aela. She didn't move, her whole body felt a lot heavier than before.

Aela finally released her, and looked into Benny's eyes, she was worried.

"You see now?" Asked Benny between ragged breaths.

"You are the only one who can stop me from doing something I will regret. I need you, Aela." Said Benny.

She didn't even know how much power the Nord had over her until now. She knew that only Aela could stop her attacks, but she was way more than just that.

She was the woman who went to the bannered mare with her and Leah, the woman who taught her more about daedras when no-one else would, the woman who comforted Benny while she mourned her dead lover. Aela the Huntress had always been there for her... and she had the keys to the shackles of her Madness.

Suddenly, she realized she needed to correct something she had told to Lykaios. She said she didn't have any more family... now she stood corrected.

Aela was her family, her last true friend, and her weakness.

This time, she wasn't going to make the same mistakes.

Benjen was going to protect Aela.

And she would take an arrow for her, no matter what.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Author's Note: heya there, I took a bit longer to update cause ive been with too much work at school and everything. Buuut anyway, back to Benny's fun Little life.**_

 _ ***Any reviews and constructive criticism is (are?) greatly appreciated, thanks and enjoy!**_

 _"Ben, hey, Ben!" Whispered a female voice._

 _The young woman opened her silvery eyes, even though she didn't remember closing them._

 _She was laying on her stomach, the smell of wet grass invaded her nose. Leah helped her to get up, the blonde woman smiled at her warmly, before stroking her lover's scarred cheek._

 _"Why are you being so sweet today?" Asked Benny._

 _"It's a special day, silly." She nudged her softly on the shoulder._

 _Oh, she forgot!_

 _"Happy anniversary!" Said Benny as she hugged Leah._

 _And Leah hugged her back._

 _"You forgot again, didn't you?"_

 _"Nooooo, I totally remembered." Said Benny with mild sarcasm._

 _"Idiot." Said Leah._

 _"But this idiot loves you, and she tries." Said Benny._

 _"I know you do." Leah finished the hug. "I got you a present." She said._

 _"Is it a cat like last year?" Asked Benny._

 _Leah said nothing, instead, her hand wandered to her pocket, and she took out a silver necklace with a sapphire in the middle, it was soaked in blood._

 _Benny heard the wind whistle, and everything became colder. The clear sky darkened in an instant, and the moons shone with a crimson color even though she could've sworn it was daytime._

 _"No, not again."_

 _She heard footsteps behind her, she turned around and saw the shadow of a man, she couldn't see his face, but she knew exactly who he was._

 _"No, I killed you." Her voice was trembling and came out weakly._

 _The man did not answer, he just stared from a distance._

 _"Ben..." said Leah, her voice barely a whisper._

 _Benny turned around and saw Leah with blood pouring out of her mouth, she held the necklace in her pale hand, she didn't move a single muscle in her body, and her eyes were emotionless._

 _The man whispered things to her, incomprehensible but somehow full of sense._

 _He whispered the names, he whisperer the name._

 _"S-stop it!" Yelled Benny._

 _But the man was still there, whispering horrible things that only Benny could understand, and Leah was still standing with the necklace on her hand._

 _"I SAID STOP!" Her voice sounded like a thunder, and the earth trembled under her feet._

 _"Benjen." Said someone, it wasn't the man's voice._

 _She threw herself to the ground and covered her ears._

 _"BENJEN!"_

And she woke up.

She grabbed the person by the neck, holding them in place.

Farkas didn't move a single muscle from his body.

Benny suddenly realized. She was on her bed, on her house in Whiterun, everything had been a dream.

Yet another nightmare.

She released Farkas, and the man coughed a bit.

"Oh gods I-I'm so sorry!" Exclaimed Benjen, stuttering a bit.

"Damnit, Sheothson. You are stronger than I remember." Said Farkas.

"I'm sorry... I was just... having a bad dream." She said softly.

"Yeah I can see that. People that have good dreams don't choke others who are trying to wake them up." Said Farkas.

Benny rose a brow.

"Speaking of which... why are you here?" She asked to the companion.

"I came to wake you up, Aela wanted to see you."

"Why?"

"Dunno, she wouldn't say." Said the Nord.

Benjen got up slowly, pushing the furs of her bed to the side. She had a horrible migraine, a usual side effect of her nightmares. She yawned and rubbed her eyes before standing up, she was only wearing an oversized shirt.

"I think you can go now, I will go to Jorrvaskr as soon as I get dressed." Said Benny rather nervously.

She didn't like people seeing her naked, and it wasn't because she wanted to hide her modesty or whatever the fuck people called it. It was because of her scars, her scars and her tattoos. She wore the scars of her face with pride, but the ones she had on her chest and back didn't bring her any pride, they were reminders of a past she desired to forget. The tattoos were just a failed and desperate attempt to hide her scars.

"Alright, I'll leave. But don't take too long, you know Aela doesn't have a lot of patience." Said Farkas.

And with that statement, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Benny heard his heavy footsteps, until she heard a door being opened... and then closing.

She threw herself back to the bed, groaning, she didn't want to get up, but she knew that if she didn't go, then Aela would go to her home and kick her ass.

She forced herself to get up, against her will. Taking off her shirt and walking towards a drawer. She took out her thieves guild armor and dressed up quickly. She walked down the stairs, took a fresh red apple from a ceramic bowl and left her home.

She walked the streets of Whiterun a little bit exasperated, it was very early in the morning and it was cold. She took a bite of her apple and walked past the cloud district, the merchants weren't there, they were probably at home, still sleeping... in their warm, soft beds.

Benny shook her head, she needed to stay focused.

She arrived to Jorrvaskr and entered, she walked downstairs to the living quarters and quickly found her way to Aela's room. She opened the door and saw her standing there, her arms crossed at chest level and a neutral look on her face.

"Hey there, I've been looking for you, got something I'm supposed to deliver to you." Benny imitated a courier.

Aela rolled her eyes.

"I wanted to tell you something." Said Aela.

"Go ahead then." Said Benny.

"I've been thinking about what you said in the forest, about joining you? Well, I've made my choice." Said Aela.

"Aaaand?" Asked Benny, part of her believed that Aela wasn't interested in going.

"I've decided to go with you to Coast of Fire." Said Aela, a small smile appeared on her face.

Benny didn't expect that answer.

"Wait, seriously? You will join me?" She seriously felt like crying of happiness.

"Yes, I've been thinking. We've been through hell and back together, you are a great friend and I want to help you with this, you've helped me before, so this is just... repaying a favor." Said Aela.

Benny stayed silent for several seconds, before basically tackling/hugging Aela.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are the best!" She stared at the werewolf's silver eyes and seriously felt like...

Kissing her?

Aela was blushing, although it was hard to notice it over her green war paint.

"Y-you're welcome. Just tell me what I need to do now." Said Aela.

Benny stood up and offered her hand to the huntress, who gladly took it and got up too.

"Well, first of all we have to find Robar. A spy came to my house yesterday and told me where she's being held." Said Benny.

"And where is this place?" Asked Aela.

"Near Rorikstead, its a stormcloak camp." Said Benny.

"And why did she get caught by the stormcloaks?" Asked Aela.

"She was probably out hunting and found the camp, she really hates stormcloaks, so my best guess is that she started yelling shit at them or tried to hurt them, and got caught. That woman is incredibly strong, but lacks brains. If I convince her to join me, we'll have one hell of a warrior on our side." Said Benny.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Asked Aela.

"We go in, liberate her, and take her to Whiterun with us." Said Benny.

Aela rose a brow.

"That's it? I thought you had a better plan." She said, unconvinced.

"We'll think of something along the way. Anyway, let's get started!" Said Benny happily.

"Wait, right now?" Asked the huntress.

"Well yes, do you think the stormcloaks will keep her as a souvenir? They are going to kill her, we need to get to her before they do. Otherwise my plan will be in serious jeopardy." Said Benny, standing by the door, ready to leave the room.

Aela had to think about it for a couple of seconds.

"Alright, let me get my gear so we can move at once." Said the huntress.

"Good, I'll meet you at the gates!" Said Benny as she left the room.

Once the dragonborn left the room, Aela sighed.

The woman was too quick to act, too reckless, that was going to be her doom.


	11. Chapter 11

It was about three A.M in the morning, rain fell heavily and soaked their armors. A brief flash of light lit up the night, before a thunder roared in the clouded skies. The powerful rain made it difficult to see, torches were useless, and Benny didn't know a single magelight spell.

"We sure chose the best day to save Robar!" Yelled Benjen.

"This was YOUR idea, Benjen!" Exclaimed Aela, outraged.

"It was sunny when we left Whiterun, what the fuck happened!?"

"I don't know, you tell me. Isn't your father supposed to be able to control the weather?" Asked the werewolf.

"Only in the Shivering Isles!" Benny barked back.

They saw a couple of tents in the distance, most of them small, but there was a big tent made out of pelts that quickly gave out that the place was a stormcloak camp.

"There it is!" Benny looked at the camp.

"How many people do you think there are?" Asked Aela to the Madwoman.

"Ten soldiers, more or less, and a commander." Said Benny as she unsheathed her daggers.

"Do you think we can take them all on?" Asked Aela.

"Of course, I have the best archer of Skyrim at my side, anything's possible." Said Benny as she smiled.

Aela rolled her eyes.

"Hey, don't act like it doesn't flatter you. I know you love it when I compliment you." Said Benny with a cocky smile.

"Focus, Sheothson." Said Aela.

It was Benny's turn to roll her eyes.

"Okay, okay, lemme just-" her sentence was interrupted by a muffled scream. The rain and the wind made it very hard to hear, but it was obvious that someone was in pain.

"Shit, we need to move." Said Benny, running towards the camp.

"Benjen wait!" Yelled Aela as she followed her, they had no actual plan, and no idea how many people were actually in the tents.

In other words: they were entering a dangerous place blindly and recklessly... but Aela couldn't expect any less from her mad little friend.

Benny hid behind one of the tents, and her eyes turned dark golden... she went Dementia, but she was in full control of herself.

Aela was just a few steps back, unsheathing her bow as she walked.

They heard another scream, this time it was clearer than before. It was the voice of a woman, probably an orc.

Benny felt a cold shiver travel down her spine as she heard the shrill of pain. She crouched and slowly walked towards the entrance of the tent.

She could hear men speaking to each other, and then to someone else.

"You might not be a dark elf or a high elf, but you sure as hell yell more than 'em, that's for sure!"

"Fuck off you ugly Nord, I was barely yawning, this feels like a massage." Said a woman defiantly.

Benny had to contain her laughter "holy fuck, I like this woman already."

She peeked around the tent and saw three men surrounding someone that was sitting on a chair (the woman, it had to be her). She heard a punch landing on the woman's flesh, and she unsheathed her dagger, she'd waited long enough and had to help her.

She threw her dagger towards them and it landed on one of the men's neck, killing him instantly.

The other two turned around, and they saw Benjen.

An arrow landed on one of the men's eyes, and he died.

The other one looked at his dead comrades and before he could scream for help, Benny had her hands on his neck. She squeezed with all of her strength until she heard a "crack!".

The man didn't even put up a fight and he died quickly, like most stormcloaks.

Benny dropped the body and looked at the orc.

She had an undercut ponytail haircut, black hair, and her face was... well, Benny couldn't quite see her face since it was covered blood.

The Madwoman approached her and stared at her.

"Psssst, hey! Wake up!" She said softly.

The orc didn't open her eyes.

"Hey I don't wanna interrupt your nap, but if we don't move then we are all gonna die." She said.

The Orc seemed to hear her, and she slowly opened her eyes, they were beautiful, Benny had to admit. The orc stared at her with her pale blue eyes and slightly opened her mouth to speak, but the only sound that left her lips was a groan.

"You are all beaten up, we need to get ya outta here." Said Benny as she helped her to get on her feet.

"I'm Benjen Sheothson by the way, and I'm going to assume you are Robar Ironjoy." She said.

The orc nodded a bit but didn't say a single word, she just limped towards the exit as fast as she could.

Benny scouted a couple of meters ahead from her, making sure that no-one would see them while they tried to escape.

She saw Aela standing behind a couple of tents, and she had two horses with her... where did she get them from? No-one knows, and it was best to keep it that way.

Benny had to admit, Aela could be pretty scary sometimes.

Benny approached her slowly, with Robar behind her.

Aela looked at the battered orc.

"You're Robar?" She asked.

"Yes, she is, and she is pretty badly hurt, so let's keep the questions for later, am I right?" Said Benny as she jumped on a horse.

Aela helped Robar get on the horse with Benny before riding her "own".

"I really appreciate what you did for me back there but... who are you?" Robar finally spoke, her voice was quite raspy and it was clear that she was in pain, suppressing groans.

"Let's just say I'm a particularly crazy bastard looking to take back a city, and I need your help for that." Said Benny as she looked at Robar and smiled, her eyes turned bright golden.

Robar's eyes widened in surprise but she didn't say a word. She had heard about Benjen but she didn't actually believe she was the daughter of Sheogorath.

But those eyes... they were a dead giveaway.

Benny didn't say another word, as she rode back to Whiterun.

Everything was going according to her plan, and it was only a matter of time before she was ready to take back her city...

... and see if her mother still lived, which was what mattered to her the most.


	12. Chapter 12

"How's our little guest doing on this fine evening?" Asked Benny as she barged into the room where Robar was resting.

The orc's face didn't show a single sign of friendliness, she looked plain hostile.

"Cut the shit, Sheothson, you obviously brought me here for a reason. I wanna know what game you are playing." Said the Orc.

"Well, the game I play is the game of: killing assholes and taking back cities." Said Benny with a smile on her face, as her silver eyes shimmered slightly.

"Yeah, yeah, that's good and all, but where do I come in? And why should I care about what you want?" Asked the Orc.

"My friend, I know who you are. I know about your prowess in battle. How you can take out five men or more on your own, how you managed to kill a bear with a stone, how you cleared a dwarven ruin all on your own... shall I continue? Or have I stroked your ego enough so that you can help me without asking any stupid questions?" Said the Madwoman with a subtle hint of mockery in her voice.

The orc let out a loud laugh, almost like a snort.

"HA! You know? You are not as annoying as I thought you would be. But I'm still not convinced. I'm not gonna join you if I don't even know what I'm supposed to do... or if it's even worth my time." Said the orc, still unconvinced.

Benny sighed.

"Look, all I need you to do is join me on a small raiding party, we are going to Coast Of Fire to kill the new governor. There's not much science in it, really. I just need you to chop some heads off if things go south. This is supposed to be some stealthy-mission-kinda-shit, but getting caught is easy, and a bunch of idiots with bows and daggers won't stand a chance against dudes with heavy armor, shields and maces." Said Benny.

"Oh, I see, I'm just a back up plan." Said Robar, stubbornly.

Benny had half a mind in slapping the bitch, but then she realized... it wasn't exactly a lie, she WAS a back up after all.

"We can call you "our fucking salvation" if "back up plan" doesn't sound pretty enough for you. Plus, quit the bitching, you are gonna get a very handsome amount of gold. Imagine if things don't go south and you don't have to do shit? You'll get paid for doing nothing! Everybody wins." Said Benny with a really big smile, she really needed to convince her.

Robar stared at her silently for a couple of seconds... before frowning a bit, and saying "I'll bring my own gear, you'll pay for any supplies such as food and replacements for my weapons... oh, and we will discuss my payment later." Said Robar coldly.

"That could've been worse." Thought Benny as she extended her hand "welcome to the team." She said as her silver eyes turned bright golden.

She shook hands with the orc before walking towards a table and getting a small bottle of ale.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to speak with Aela." Said the Madwoman.

"Oh, so the rumors are true?" Asked Robar.

That took Benny by surprise, she rose a brow and stared at her with a confused look on her face.

"Rumors?"

"Is it true that you two are lovers?"

Benny didn't know if she wanted to faint, blush or laugh. So she just laughed nervously and blushed.

"Nononononoooo we aren't lovers! We are just really really good friends... yes, friends, exactly." She said nervously.

Robar laughed.

"Even if you aren't lovers, it seems you want to be hers." Said the orc as she smiled smugly.

"... how about you go to sleep before I PUT you to sleep?" Said Benny rather angrily.

Robar laughed even more.

"You ARE in love with her!" She exclaimed.

"None of your business." Said Benny coldly.

"Okay, okay. I won't bother you any more. Just wanted to see if you are easily annoyed." Said Robar.

"Well, now you know. So... you can just shut up now." She gave her the bottle of ale, and before anyone could say another word, she left the room in a rush.

She closed the door behind her and thought...

"that conversation took a really weird twist."


End file.
